Canada purchase a US air defense system to send it to Ukraine

The Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Tuesday that his country will buy a NASAMS air defense system from the United States as a gift to Ukraine.

According to Ottawa, this is the first air defense system of this kind provided by Canada to Ukraine, in a donation of about 406 million Canadian dollars (282 million Euros).

Trudeau made his announcement following a bilateral meeting with US President Joe Biden in Mexico City.

This defense system aims to counter the heavy Russian bombardment targeting vital infrastructure in Ukraine.

Canadian Defense Minister Anita Anand said after a call with her Ukrainian counterpart that protecting Ukrainian infrastructure is the number one priority… This is why Canada is buying an advanced surface-to-air missile system from the United States to donate to Ukraine.

The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed this donation, saying in a tweet “Thank you for helping us protect our skies”.

The NSAMS air defense system that Canada has purchased for us will be a strong shield for our cities and citizens.

This air defense missile system is in addition to armored vehicles, howitzers, winter clothes, and ammunition previously provided by Canada to Ukraine to help it confront the Russian invasion.

To date, many other countries have provided Ukraine with anti-aircraft systems, led by the United States, Norway, Spain, Germany and France.